Prajakta Salunkhe
February 23, 2026 2026-03-04 5:12Prajakta Salunkhe
Prajakta Salunkhe
Ph.D. Programme in Computer Engineering, Specialising in AIML for robotics
Ph.D. Admission Year: 2021-22
Guide: Dr. Mahesh Shirole
Contact
Biography
Prajakta Salunkhe is a Ph.D. research scholar in Computer Engineering and Information Technology at Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), Mumbai, India. She brings over eight years of combined industry and research experience. Her work focuses on leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to design and develop autonomous systems for real-time monitoring in complex and dynamic environments. She is particularly interested in developing sustainable, technology-driven solutions for environmental protection. Her research spans advanced robotics domains, including machine vision systems, collaborative and cooperative robotics, and SLAM-based autonomous systems. Prajakta’s research-driven innovation earned her second prize at the Rotacodefest Hackathon, a competition focused on environmental protection.
Academic Information (Degrees/Education)
- Ph.D (pursuing): Computer Engineering, VJTI, Mumbai
- M. E.: Computer Engineering, MMCOE, Pune
- B. E.: Computer Engineering, North Maharashtra University
- Diploma: Computer Technology, MSBTE, Mumbai
Area of Research
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Autonomous Systems
Research Interests
Real-time Autonomous Monitoring Systems, Machine Vision, Cooperative Robots, AI and ML Applications for Challenging and High-Risk Areas
Professional Grant
Prajakta has been awarded the Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj National Research Fellowship (CSMNRF-2022) for five years.
Publications
Published:
- Salunkhe, Prajakta, Atharva Tilak, Mahesh Shirole, and Ninad Mehendale. “Autonomous Gas Leak Detection in Hazardous Environments Using Gradient-Guided Depth-First Search Algorithm.” Automation 7, no. 1 (2026): 13 ; https://doi.org/10.3390/automation7010013
- Salunkhe, P., Kshatriya, H., Shirole, M. (2025). Engineering a Mecanum Wheel Mobile Robot with Raspberry Pi for SLAM. In: Pal, S.K., Thampi, S.M., Abraham, A. (eds) Intelligent Informatics. ISI 2023. Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies, vol 389. Springer, Singapore.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-2147-4_2 - Salunkhe, Prajakta, and Geetha Chillarge. "A Survey on Group Data Sharing over Cloud in Multi-owner Environment using Key Aggregation and Trapdoor." In International Journal of Computer Applications 975 (2017): 8887.
Accepted and Under Publication
- Tilak A., Salunkhe P., Mehendale, N. (2025). “Stochastic Gradient-Biased Traversal: A Heuristic Approach for Efficient Leak Source Localization.” In Proceedings of the IEEE 4th International Conference on Smart Technologies for Power, Energy and Control.
- Salunkhe P., Shirole M., and Mehendale N. (2025). “Advancements in small-scale autonomous vehicle systems: a systematic review of perception, localization, and navigation technologies” in 2nd International Conference on Technologies for Energy, Agriculture, and Healthcare.
Preprints
- Salunkhe, P., Jadhav, M. A., Patkar, V., Shirole, M., & Mehendale, N. (2025). Machine Vision and Deep Learning for Dynamic Path Planning of Autonomous Vehicles on Unstructured Indian Roads. SSRN Working Paper. https://ssrn.com/abstract=
6171186 - Salunkhe, P., Jadhav, M. A., Patkar, V., Shirole, M., & Mehendale, N. (2025). Performance Evaluation of LiDAR and Depth Cameras for Perception in Miniaturized Autonomous Vehicles. SSRN Working Paper. https://ssrn.com/abstract=
6171287 - Jadhav, M. A., Salunkhe, P., Patkar, V., & Mehendale, N. (2025). Comparative Analysis of Path Planning Algorithms in Multi-Sensor Fusion for Autonomous Ground Vehicles on Unstructured Indian Roads. SSRN Working Paper. https://ssrn.com/
abstract=6171166
- P. P. Salunkhe, M. R. Shirole, V. H. Dalvi, and N. D. Mehendale, “SLAM robotics system for detection and mapping of emissions,” Indian Patent Application 202421074667 A, Patent Office
Journal No. 42/2025, Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM), India, Oct. 2025. Assignee: Prajakta Prakash Salunkhe
